Hunted
by NightShadow131
Summary: Elves are dying one by one. Who is this mystery assailant? What happens when they go after Legolas?
1. Bad Timing

**Disclaimer**: I do not own LotR or anything to do with it.

**Warnings**: None really. No slash. ;-;

Sorry 'bout any grammar and/or spelling mistakes.

Got this out pretty quickly, hm? My LotR muse returned to me or the multi-chaptered one in any case. n.n;; …Really didn't take long, though. -.- Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this new fic; don't forget to let me know, alright? n.n

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**Hunted**

**Chapter One: Bad Timing**

"There's been another one, Hir Elrond," the light brown haired warrior named Elendur, said solemnly.

The Lord of Imladris frowned deeply at the news. "When did it happen?"

"Sometime last night. One of the maids found the body."

Elrond crossed one arm over his chest, resting his elbow on the hand, and the other went to his chin, deep in thought. "Is it the same as the others?"

The warrior nodded. "No struggle, no sounds heard; no signs of forced entry."

The lines creased on the elf-lord's forehead as he tried to figure out their on-going riddle.

All they knew so far was that the assailant had to be another elf; one that knew Imladris' layout and that he was after blonde elves; gender did not matter. Why, they could not explain, but all the deaths thus far had all been so. There had been a total of three. They prayed they would find the perpetrator soon so they could stop the meaningless deaths.

"Very well, thank you. Please keep an eye out for any abnormalities. Also, have more guards posted inside, especially near the chambers containing blondes," the elder elf said, the command sounding odd in his own ears. Since there were so few blonde haired elves in Imladris it shouldn't be that hard.

"Aye, my lord," Elendur said as he bowed. Then he left, leaving Elrond with his confused thoughts.

About ten minutes later there was a knock on his door.

"Come in," he said, standing from the chair behind his desk. He was half-expecting it to be Elendur with new information, so when Elladan and Elrohir (his twin sons) entered, he was slightly taken aback, especially since they hardly interrupted him when he was in his study.

"Adar, Legolas is here," the elder of the two, Elladan, stated grimly.

Elrond was once again surprised, at two things in fact: the way in which his son spoke of his friend's arrival, and that Legolas was even there in the first place. He had sent no letter, neither party had.

Then the reason for their solemn expressions and tone of voice hit him, hit him hard. Legolas was blonde. The murderer would undoubtedly come after him at one point or another if they did not catch him soon.

Without another word, he hurried out of his study, making his way down to the entrance, practically running.

…………

Aragorn – or Estel as his friends and family called him – was the first to meet with Legolas.

The blonde elf dismounted his white stallion and went over to his friend, pulling him into a hug.

The human hugged him back, patting his back.

They had missed each other terribly. It had been a good four months at least since they had last seen each other, for Legolas' duty as Prince of Mirkwood often made him much too busy. However, his father had finally given him a break, allowing him to visit his friends and second family.

The friends broke apart, one looking as if he couldn't be happier; the other one as if he had horrible news.

"What is it, Estel?" the archer asked concerned, a frown quickly replacing the wide smile.

"I am afraid this is a bad time for you to have come here, my friend," the dark-haired human answered seriously.

"Why? What has happened?" Legolas questioned in disbelief. Never had his friend said anything close to that. He had always been ecstatic to see him. This was beyond his comprehension. Had he done something to offend them last time…?

"Nay, mellon-nin, you did nothing," Aragorn quickly reassured. Long years of friendship had enabled him to easily read the elf's expression, and vice versa.

He sighed heavily. "A mad elf is on the loose, killing others in our home, elves with blonde hair…"

Legolas gaped at the ranger. That was certainly unexpected, and explained a lot.

"When did this—" he cut himself off when he saw Elrond hastily making his way towards them, Elrohir and Elladan in tow.

The blonde had to hold in his laughter at the sight. It wasn't often he saw the elf-lord do such a thing. However, because of that same thing, he held in his laughter, knowing it was highly inappropriate. He noticed that Aragorn was doing the same, though and this caused a smile to grace his beautiful features.

"Good morn, Elrond," Legolas greeted, turning his smile into a warm one. He nodded at the twins standing next to their father who, in turn, nodded back. After being told countless times, Legolas had finally dropped the use of 'lord' when talking to Elrond.

"Good morn. 'Tis good to see you again, penneth," the elder elf replied sincerely. He looked to his youngest son beside the blonde elf. "Have you informed him of the… situation?"

Aragorn nodded in affirmation.

"Then, shall we go inside and catch up?" Elrond suggested with a smile. Not only had he missed the young elf himself and wished to see how things were, but he figured he would be safer inside. Perhaps the killer wouldn't know that Legolas had come… as if the prince wasn't noticeable.

The stable hands had taken care of Legolas' horse so they made their way inside.

Elrohir threw his arm around Legolas' shoulder as they walked, conversing lightly with the archer. He needed a real greeting; not one that made it seem as though he wasn't welcome. Aragorn and Elladan also joined in. Elrond was far too worried. With the luck the young elf had, he feared this would not end well.

Once they got inside, they let Legolas put his belongings in the chambers he had long-since claimed as his own and then they settled down for the afternoon meal.

During the meal they discussed everything except the main issue in Imladris. They figured that could wait until afterwards. With the long journey Legolas deserved a break, although it was obvious it wouldn't be able to last long. It never did, it seemed.

When they finished eating and had relaxed a while, Legolas decided to ask questions of this "mad elf" that Aragorn had spoken of.

"So, how long have the deaths been going on?" he questioned seriously, the mirth leaving his eyes for this subject.

Immediately, it was dead silent as the twins and Aragorn stopped bickering.

All eyes were on Legolas, but he was not intimidated in the least.

Elrond sighed deeply, wishing that the archer had come after this was all sorted out. "A couple months now," he answered reluctantly. They would have sent word to Mirkwood, telling Legolas to wait it out, but they had been too busy trying to figure things out. Now it was too late, and he regretted not thinking of it.

"And you have no idea who it is?" the blonde asked, raising his eyebrows in shock. Usually, by now, the mystery would be solved.

"Aye, the elf must have lived here for years. Might have even been born here, for he knows the layout very well. He might even know the ones he's killing," the elder elf explained.

The last part was hard for anyone to believe. This whole scenario was. How could anyone kill someone by choice, let alone someone they knew personally? There had to be a reason behind all this, right?

They had to stop this and quickly. However, they had no clues to who it was.

Elrond told Legolas everything they knew of the subject – which wasn't very much, but he needed to know what they did.

"I am not sure if it is wise for you to stay in your chambers this time," the elf-lord said in concern. For all they knew, the murderer could be someone that knew Legolas and where he slept. He would be too easy of a prey if that were the case.

Legolas said nothing in return. He didn't want to move and cause more trouble for the servants since they would have to prepare another chamber for him. However, if the move would ease Elrond's mind then he would do it. He was a guest, after all, no matter how much he visited, no matter if he thought of Imladris as a second home and them as family, which was also why he would move if they wished.

They could all tell Legolas was uncomfortable with the idea, but knew he wouldn't protest.

This was tricky because all of them cared for the blonde deeply and wished for no harm to befall him, but they also wished for him to feel at home during his stay.

They couldn't just put guards by his door either, if the killer didn't know Legolas was there then he would with that.

Elrond echoed his earlier sigh. "Alright, alright," he gave-in to Legolas' silent plea, also noticing his expression, "but you must lock your balcony door and close the curtains. I shall have someone patrol that hall to make sure all is well."

He knew this would not help Legolas feel comfortable since he always had the curtains open, allowing the light from the sun or moon to shine through. He kept the balcony door open often as well to feel the breeze caress him as it played with his silky hair.

However, Elrond did not see the sad look in Legolas' eyes, for he turned to his youngest. "Estel, I shall have to ask you to leave your door open this night. If you hear anything let me know, but check on Legolas first."

Aragorn nodded in understanding. He had been planning to do so in the first place. His and Legolas' chambers were right across from each other's so he would be able to hear if something was wrong. Despite the other cases having no struggle, he could count on Legolas putting up a fight against this no-name killer.

If any of them thought the precautions were too drastic, they said nothing. And, in fact, none did. They wanted their friend to be as safe as possible.

An idea entered Legolas' mind. He didn't think the others would like it, but it would work and was worth a try.

"We… We could announce that I'm here and lure the killer out," the blonde suggested hesitantly.

"Absolutely not. I will in no way put you in danger," Elrond firmly disregarded the idea. "If you so much as go wandering down the halls without one of us and for no reason, I will lock you up myself," he warned.

Legolas gulped thickly. He had known that he would decline, but he hadn't expected the reply to be so harsh.

"Alright, I will not do anything. It was just a suggestion," he said in truce.

The four let out a deep breath they hadn't realized they had been holding out of sheer relief. Even though Legolas said this, they knew they would have to keep a sharp eye out on him. That shouldn't be a problem, however, since they usually stayed with each other for most of the day when the prince visited.

"Good. Now, whatever you four do today, do not draw attention to yourselves," the elf-lord commanded sternly but caringly. They knew he was just worried about the blonde elf he had come to consider a son.

After the meal, Elrond retreated to his study, wanting to go over the facts they had gathered again. He had to find something that they had missed, something that would give them a clue as to who was causing the distress throughout his home.

………

Legolas flopped down into the chair heavily, letting out a sigh as he closed his eyes, glad to be able to relax.

"Aw, look, the elfling is tired," Elrohir teased. However, he was splayed out on a couch with Elladan himself.

Aragorn was slumped into a chair as well.

Legolas merely glared at the younger twin.

The four had gone out riding in the forest. The archer felt bad for taking his horse out so soon after the long distance he had taken to get to Imladris from Mirkwood, but he also knew that the stallion enjoyed being outdoors; not cooped up in the stable.

And, even though Legolas had been riding all day – and days before that – he never tired of feeling the wind blow through his hair.

He was absolutely exhausted now. He would definitely sleep well that night.

They had also figured that going for a ride would be the best thing to do to past time, since it would draw the least amount of attention.

Every time they entered the forest it was a different experience so they would never get bored of going there.

Everyone figured tomorrow would be a relaxing day, however. Legolas had yet to rest.

Currently, the friends were in the library; they already had the evening meal and were just lazing around now. Elrond had said nothing about the mad elf so they just figured he hadn't found anything new. This involved Legolas too deeply, when the elder elf found something, they would be informed.

Legolas had closed his eyes again after glaring at Elrohir and just let his body go limp, enjoying the company and the relaxation. He hadn't been able to rest in months.

The three brothers watched in amusement as the blonde fell closer and closer to sleep.

However, Legolas didn't like how quiet the others were. It was unusual and made him suspicious.

Blue eyes opened to see the three in the same position as when they had first sat down. "What are you up to?" he asked them, uncertainly. If they were up to something did he really want to know?

Aragorn and the twins just blinked in genuine surprise.

"Nothing, mellon-nin. It hurts that you could accuse us so," the human said, feigning the pained tone.

It didn't work, though. Legolas knew the ranger far too well.

The narrowed his eyes.

"Honestly, we were not planning anything. If you want us to we can easily come up with something," the man continued, trying to prove his innocence. He looked over to his brothers. They nodded in agreement, knowing that he had been asking for support.

Legolas just let it go. They seemed sincere enough. Besides, he was too tired to deal with the pranks. He hoped they at least had the decency to hold off this night.

Soon his eyes were glazed over as he fell into elven dreams, the others smirking as he did so.

They had had something planned for such an occasion, but they could not go through with it. This time the stay that was usually considered a break would not be such. With the killer on the loose, they would have to be really cautious and hold back on their usual activities, namely pranks. They just attracted too much attention.

When all of this was over the real fun would begin.

They all prayed to the Valar this would all end well and soon.

The three watched over Legolas with caring expressions, content to just sit there in his company. It was one way to make sure he didn't get into trouble.

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So, what do you all think? I hope you are interested and will want to continue. n.n

To let you all know I will not be able to post the next chapter 'til after the 19th. I am going on a cruise for a week. I hope I'll be able to write some while there but, if not, I'll at least write on the plane. n.n I do have a few chapters of this written out already so no worries there, I just need to type them up. If I end up making any mistakes just kindly let me know and I'll gladly fix it. Comments and suggestions are always welcome. n.n

If you're interested you can go here: http / nightshadow131 .livejournal .com to check out info on fics and whatnot. n.n

Let me know what ya think, 'kay? n.n

Ja ne


	2. Scare

**Disclaimer**: Do you think I own it? No? Good.

Sorry 'bout any grammar and/or spelling mistakes.

There we go. It wouldn't let me post yesterday. Sheesh. Come back to that… that's fun stuff right there, man. -.-

The cruise was awesome. I'll post some pics when I get the CD with the pics on it. I'll give you all the link when I post them if you're interested. n.n It was a bit too touristy for my taste in the places we went to, but on the ship it was great. ..:shrugs:.. And the water, love water, man, love the ocean. n.n

But, yes, I'll shut up about that. I hope I don't let any of you down with this, especially with such a long wait. n.n Enjoy.

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**Hunted**

**Chapter Two: Scare**

He felt, more than heard, the presence glide over the smooth floor, making its way into the chambers near his own.

He slowly sat up and looked around, for the sound had yet to connect with his sleep-induced mind, his dream still lingering.

The candles flickered in the hall, his open door causing the long shadow against the wall to grow and shrink creating strange shapes. The fire whispered and cackled at him, reminding him of something he should know, something important.

The sound of metal slowly being drawn from its sheath snapped his attention to the direction it had come from: across the hall.

Legolas' chambers.

"Valar," he breathed, scrambling out of bed, berating himself for his foolishness.

The covers wrapped around his legs in his haste to get up, and caused him to land on the floor, sprawled out.

Muttering a curse, he battled with the stubborn blanket, all the while pushing back his panic.

After beating the blanket, he ran to Legolas' chambers, just as the shadowed figure, indiscernible in the darkness, thrust the gleaming blade straight into the blonde elf's heart.

Legolas' eyes cleared with a gasp, only to glaze over again seconds later as his body became limp. This time the glaze over the crystalline eyes was not from elven sleep.

Aragorn was too shocked to scream, frozen in place.

He had failed his friend! He had killed him! He should have come to him as soon as he heard something!

Tears refused to show at the overwhelming despair he felt, it was too much.

He stared at the lifeless form of his now-dead friend as the killer escaped without Aragorn so much as shifting an eye to him.

Aragorn closed the distance between himself and Legolas, looking down at the archer in disbelief. The blue eyes, glazed over in death, stared back at him accusingly: how dare he not stop the killer.

The reality finally sank in and his knees buckled beneath him. He kneeled next to the bed, head hung with grief as tears cascaded down his face.

Aragorn awoke with a gasp and looked around.

He was still in the library.

Elladan and Elrohir were next to him now, their expressions mirrored worry.

Bringing his gaze straight ahead, he found a pair of blue eyes staring back at him, eyes which had been dull and listless only seconds before.

"Legolas!" he shouted in disbelief before he could help himself.

The elf blinked at the human, having no idea why the man was so shocked to see him.

"Why are you crying, mellon-nin?" he questioned, concern clearly heard in his melodious voice.

Aragorn raised a hand to his face, fingers feeling the wet trails that had appeared from his nightmare.

"I… You…" Aragorn stuttered, disoriented from the too-realistic dream. He swallowed thickly, trying to gather his thoughts. "I had a nightmare."

Legolas nodded understandingly. That had been obvious. The twins had been the first to notice their brother's distress; then Legolas had actually been awakened by the pained groans of his name mournfully said. They had tried to wake him up, but it had been to no avail.

He waited for the young man to continue.

"You… You died," Aragorn choked out, sad grey eyes piercing the shocked blue ones. The tears that he had just managed to suppress, threatened to flow again.

Legolas mentally shook himself out of his surprise and pulled his friend into a tight hug. "Everything is fine, mellon-nin. I am alive and well. I shall not leave you; I promise," he soothed the distraught man that clung to him like a life-line.

Elladan and Elrohir watched the scene before them in sadness. Neither knew what they could do to help. All they knew was that the sooner they found this killer, the sooner everything would be back to normal and they could enjoy themselves once more.

Aragorn finally pulled back from Legolas and smiled at him in appreciation.

Minutes passed in comfortable silence and, even though Aragorn was still troubled by his nightmare, he had calmed down.

None even mentioned leaving the library to go back to their chambers to sleep, for it was already well into the night. It was an unspoken request on Aragorn's part that they stay. He feared if they—mainly Legolas—retired for the night then his nightmare just might come true.

The other three were content with staying in the library in any case, surrounded by books, friends, and the warmth the fire gave them. It was truly relaxing and just what the wearied blonde needed after traveling for so long. It helped Aragorn as well.

Legolas had started to nod off again when the library doors suddenly burst open, a rattled Elrond being the cause.

The four were startled from their reprieve and turned wide eyes to the elf-lord.

"What is it, Ada?" Elladan was the first to question, voice saturated with worry and a tinge of fear. It was rare indeed for the elder elf to behave like this.

"There's been another one. Come quick," he said hurriedly, slightly breathless.

Immediately the four jumped to their feet and chased after Elrond, fear gripping their hearts, squeezing out all the contentment it had just soaked up.

Legolas could hear his blood pumping loudly in his ears, the thudding of his heart threatening to free itself of his chest. This was it. This was the reason for unwanted feeling that had greeted him upon arriving.

They stopped in front of the door. The warriors standing guard nodded at seeing their lord, allowing access. Elrond had commanded them to be there to make sure none would pass so the scene would not be disturbed. Elendur was one of the guards and he followed after the anxious elves and human.

"How is this even possible?" the elf-lord asked, controlling himself as he kept his voice leveled. He had held back most of his questions until in the company of his sons and Legolas. With the increased number of guards, he had hoped to at least have the deaths farther apart.

Elendur had been dreading the moment he had to tell his lord of this new death on his watch. He swallowed thickly, and then replied, "I know not, my lord. We neither saw nor heard anything." Just like the others.

Elrond sighed heavily, placing a hand over his eyes. He could already feel the start of a headache.

"Forgive me, Hir Elrond," the light brown haired elf said contritely. He should have been able to catch the murderer already.

The elder elf waved his hand, dismissing the apology; there was no need for it after all.

He then turned from Elendur and took a look at the chambers again, this time a lot more closely. Legolas and Aragorn had done the same.

It was left exactly how it had been; the only thing that had been changed was that the young maiden's bloody corpse had been removed upon his permission; after he had taken note. He had already thoroughly checked it before getting his sons; no clues had been there. Besides, he didn't want her body left for display.

Looking at the bed, the maroon covers were untouched, still made as if the victim hadn't even lain in it the night before.

The candle still had smoke emitting in fine tendrils, having burnt out some time that morning, still refusing to be forgotten.

Blood was only found in the area the body had been, in one small puddle of crimson that would soon be cleaned by some unfortunate maid when they finished. The blood was to be found nowhere else, no weapon or anything left behind to connect to the mysterious killer of blonde elves.

Bringing his wearied gaze to the balcony, he found the curtains blowing listlessly with the would-be calming breeze if not for the situation. That, too, hadn't been changed. The balcony doors had been wide open upon first entering the chambers.

He figured that, either the maiden had been enjoying the fresh air, or the assailant had entered though there and that she had had no time to close the doors.

The killer could also just be getting cocky and was mocking them now, showing that he could give things away, like his point of entry, and they still would have no idea.

The best bet was that the mad elf had gotten into the victim's chambers through the balcony.

Did that mean that that was what he had done the in the other cases as well…? The other victims' chambers had balconies too, so it was possible. They had, of course, already taken this into consideration, but nothing had turned up before. There had been no evidence. He didn't know what to think anymore.

Repressing a growl of frustration, he walked onto the balcony.

Here, Legolas and Aragorn now stood, overlooking the railing, down at the twins who had decided they should check outside.

"Anything?" Elrond asked, feigning calmness.

Surprisingly, both friends jumped at the sound.

"It is not wise for you to be so unaware, especially you, Legolas," he warned.

The archer nodded solemnly.

"Have you found anything?" the elf-lord reiterated the forgotten question.

Both shook their heads sadly, the weariness of all this easily seen in their features.

"I do not understand how he can continue to kill and leave no traces," the blonde suddenly said puzzled.

Silence answered his question.

The three (the twins were still outside) continued to search the chambers for any signs, scuffs on the railing, something knocked over, anything to show of the ghostly murderer.

Elrond had sent Elendur to strengthen the warriors' defenses, to heighten their protection and to have some posted at the balconies. He knew they hadn't been slacking, for they wouldn't dare, especially not under the circumstances, but he needed to make sure there were no more deaths.

He was going to inspect every victim's chambers and balconies again… dragging Legolas and his sons with him, though they would probably want to go with. He had to be sure he hadn't missed anything and perhaps one of them would see something he hadn't noticed.

"Have they found anything?" the elder elf asked the two friends, who had been speaking to Elladan and Elrohir.

"Not yet," Aragorn answered with a sigh.

Elrond echoed the sigh. Then he went back into the chambers, hoping that another look would turn something up.

After a very thorough search, nothing was found, not one hint. Legolas and Aragorn were also empty-handed.

"Ada!" the twins suddenly shouted, startling the three inside.

Elrond, Aragorn and Legolas flew to the balcony to look below.

Each let out a breath of relief when they saw that neither was being attacked. In fact, it seemed like they were excited about something.

"Come down here!" the elder twin yelled while the younger inspected something he held in his hands.

Legolas and Aragorn pushed off the railing and ran out of the chambers; down to Elladan and Elrohir. Elrond was not far behind.

Once they got there they were breathing heavily, mostly from anticipation.

"What is it?" Legolas quickly asked. He had been the first one there.

"This," Elrohir stated, opening his hand.

In the hand was a small silver chain with a white and sapphire gem hanging from it; silver lined the delicate piece, making intricate designs.

"Where did you find it?" Elrond queried, looking at the necklace in a mixture of awe and disbelief. This could be the thing they were looking for.

"On that tree," the younger twin answered, pointing below the balcony to the left.

Elrond picked the necklace up, letting it dangle on a couple fingers as he examined it closely. After a moment, he asked, "Whose is it?"

"No idea," the twins both replied.

"It looks familiar," Legolas said slowly as he tried to recall. Aragorn agreed with him, but neither could place it.

Elrond suddenly looked up with wide eyes at Legolas.

"What's wrong? Do you know whose it is?" the blonde inquired worriedly, the look the elder elf gave him looked almost fearful.

"If _you_ think you have seen it before then its owner knows you…"

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Well, there you have it: the second chapter. Woohoo. -.- I hope you all enjoyed it. Let me know, alright? I'm very interested in knowing what you all think. I hope I did not disappoint and that the wait was worth it. n.n;;

But… yeah. The next chapter should be out fairly quickly. This week some time for sure. Already have it written, just need to type it up, which shouldn't be a problem. I have Mid-Winter Break right now, also known as An-excuse-for-teachers-to-get-away-from-students-for-a-week Break, (XDD) so I have plenty of time.

Yup, sick again, so we shall see how well writing the next chapter goes. I have through four written already, btw. I wrote quite a bit on the plane and the ship so… yeah. No worries. n.n Not that it wasn't fun, just that, when you need to write, you need to write. XD;;

Don't forget to let me know what you think and thanks for reading. n.n

Ja ne


	3. Lost Thoughts

**Disclaimer**: I don't own LotR.

Sorry 'bout any grammar and/or spelling mistakes.

Thanks goes to Lyn! I can't believe I made such an embarrassingmistake; thank you for pointing it out! How I didn't notice that when I went through and edited it is beyond me... Thanks again. n.n

Oops, sorry guys. Was looking at pics and ish last night and kinda… forgot to post this. XDD I confused my days! Sorry! ...Yeah, I'm good. Well, at least I got it out now, right? It's sooner than usual in any case. n.n;;

So… yeah, here you all go. Hope you like it. n.n Don't forget to let me know what ya think, 'kay? n.n

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**Hunted**

**Chapter Three: Lost Thoughts**

Aragorn and the twins quickly looked at Legolas and then Elrond, the realization hitting them hard as they stared.

Legolas continued to gape at the elf-lord.

Now what were they going to do? The killer knew of the archer, but how well? Did he know he was in Imladris?

Elrond was at a loss as what to do, too. He would like to move the young elf from his chambers to somewhere else, but he thought it safer where he was than in the guest hall. The mad elf probably patrolled the area looking for his next victim since Imladris' elves were rarely blonde, if ever. Also, the elf most likely knew that Legolas was close friends with Aragorn and the twins, for when seen the prince was hardly alone; one of them usually accompanied him.

The elf-lord sighed deeply.

"Ada?" Aragorn dared interrupt the elder elf's thoughts—they didn't seem to be getting him anywhere anyway. Not a good sign.

Elrond looked down at the necklace he still held and then looked at his youngest son.

Turning to Legolas, he said, "I shall do all I can to keep you safe and find this murderer." That was the one thing he was sure of. He would not let the archer become one of the many victims and he swore this.

Legolas nodded in appreciation, feeling lucky that he had so many people who cared for him.

"First, I must find who this belongs to," he stated, closing his hand around the necklace. "Estel, Elladan, Elrohir, I want you to keep an eye out for anything amiss. One of you must be with him at all times."

The three nodded just as seriously, having no problem with this command. They would do everything possible to ensure their friend's safety.

With that, Elrond stepped forward and placed a hand comfortingly on Legolas' shoulder. "All shall be well, penneth."

He smiled warmly at the archer and then left to investigate. He would check up on them whenever he could spare a moment, too, for his piece of mind. He was definitely more than a little shaken about this whole terrible situation. He really should have expected Legolas to show up at this time, when a killer was on the loose; after elves only with blonde hair. He always seemed to have the worst luck.

After Elrond left, the others just stood there for a while, unsure of what to do.

"Well," Elrohir started uncertainly, "what should we do today?"

His question was met with shrugs.

"Shall we go for a ride…?" Legolas finally suggested. He couldn't help it. Riding was one of the most effective ways to get his mind off of everything.

"Another one? You are going to wear out Elen soon!" Aragorn exclaimed jokingly. He knew the blonde loved to ride and that the stallion was used to the all-too-frequent rides and enjoyed them just as much.

"Are you sure you do not speak of yourself instead, human?" the archer queried, an eyebrow raised in challenge.

"Oh, is that so? Let us race to the stables. See who wins then, elf," the young man met the challenge.

"Who said anything about winning? But… if you insist." Legolas took off towards the stables without warning, leaving the others behind.

Aragorn and the twins quickly ran after their spirited friend… after getting over their shock.

Naturally, Legolas reached the stables first, followed by the three brothers.

Legolas was inside already, patting his horse lovingly as he spoke to him in the same manner. When Aragorn, Elladan and Elrohir entered the stall, he turned to them, grinning. "So much for winning, hm?"

The others gaped at him for a moment. Aragorn's mouth opened and closed before he finally sputtered out, "You… You cheated!"

"I do not know what you are talking about… I would never do such a thing," the blonde said with a smirk.

Aragorn just shook his head, smiling in amusement.

"Shall we go then?" the archer questioned, smirk still plastered on his face.

The twins merely mirrored Aragorn's earlier movement and shook their heads, going to their own horses.

They led their horses out of the stable and started on their aimless ride, getting their mind off of the danger Legolas was in.

* * *

Later that night, during the evening meal, the five were once again gathered around the table to enjoy the food and company. However, this time it was different, for they could no longer ignore the killings or that the elf would eventually be after Legolas.

Even with this, they couldn't bring themselves to talk about it. They still tried to push it aside, tried to pretend it was nothing. Elrond was still looking into it, of course, but said nothing unless he was asked.

They barely spoke, the clinking of the dishes, fork against plate, and the fire popping the only sounds. The air was thick and tense as they struggled to control their anxiousness.

"Have you found who the necklace belongs to?" Legolas suddenly inquired, making the tension even thicker as he spoke the supposedly non-existent subject. He had waited to ask until they had all finished eating at least… if that counted for anything.

Elrond turned his gaze to the blue eyes and lowered his head.

No good, for it was unusual for the elf-lord to do such a thing.

Silence filled the room once more.

Legolas looked at each of the Imladris residents in turn.

Minutes later they still hadn't improved and he abruptly stood, the scraping of the wood against the floor deafening as it shattered the relentless silence.

"We cannot allow this to continue. This… silence is not going to help anything!" he exclaimed, hoping to get through to the others and unable to hold himself back. He was angry because they wouldn't talk at all. Even if they wished to avoid talking about the mad elf, they could talk about something else—_anything_ else would be fine by him, so long as they spoke! However, they did need to talk about this elf and necklace, to find out what was going on.

The prince turned and left for the doors. "I shall be in my chambers should you need me," he told the shocked family, exiting and closing the doors behind him.

The remaining four merely stared at the wooden door like it was going to tell them what had just happened. They didn't know what to make of the outburst. Each of them felt guilty, though, and knew that the young elf was right. They shouldn't have let this ordeal get in the way of their fun or conversations during meals. They were just making things more difficult and frustrating for them, especially Elrond. He feared his irritation was seeping into the others and inadvertently affecting their moods as well.

The four simultaneously sighed and then looked at each other, small smiles playing on their lips and amusement in their eyes.

Aragorn stood up moments later. "I shall go check on him. I will stay in his chambers for the night so you need not worry," he suggested.

Elrond nodded in gratefulness. He was actually going to insist that one of his sons stayed with the blonde so it worked out well.

Elrohir and Elladan were going to protest, but stopped themselves before they muttered a single word. Both knew how important this was to their little brother and that their father needed this, needed to ease the trouble that plagued his heart and mind. If they argued now it would only cause him to become more stressed.

Then they realized something that made them panic: Legolas was walking alone. Aragorn couldn't have caught up with him yet.

The three scrambled up and ran for the doors and to Legolas, their hearts beating like a rat trapped a cat's game.

Finally they made it to the prince's chambers and were extremely relieved when they found Legolas unharmed, about to go through the door. Aragorn had caught up with him; they knew that the same thought had crossed his mind as well and he must have rushed.

The three elves stopped behind the friends, Elrohir slumped forward, hands on his knees, while Elrond regained his composure and Elladan just stood there in relief. That had frightened them far too much.

Legolas and Aragorn turned to face them taken aback by their behavior, the archer's hand dropping from the door.

"What's going on?" Legolas asked in confusion.

Aragorn thought he knew exactly what had caused such a reaction from his brothers and father, for he had done the same.

Elrohir straightened and, scratching the back of his head, replied, "You were walking alone. We thought the killer could have gotten to you."

The archer stared at the younger twin, unsure of what to make of this. He was kind of upset that they didn't trust his ability, but he knew that they were only doing this out of love and concern.

Looking at them, he noticed the fright he had caused them, even Aragorn, for he had seen the quick manner in which he had approached him as well.

"Forgive me," he said contritely, lowering his gaze to the floor. He felt horrible for worrying them so.

"There is nothing to forgive," Elrond started soothingly, lifting the young elf's chin. "Just… try to be more careful."

"Aye," Legolas answered quietly, not knowing what to say.

"Good," the elder elf said with a smile and dropped his hand. "Now, go get some rest. Estel shall stay with you this night."

The archer inclined his head in acceptance. He had figured one of them would be with him.

Elrond placed a hand on his shoulder again. "I am sorry you had to come here to this," he said sadly.

Legolas shook his head. "'Tis no fault of yours, you had no idea I was coming. I should have sent word."

The elf-lord smiled and shook his head in amusement. Legolas always took the blame upon himself, no matter what.

He squeezed his shoulder in comfort, letting him know it wasn't his fault either and then he turned and walked away with a "good night." He still had to find whose necklace he carried with him.

"Make sure you get some sleep!" Legolas shouted after the elder elf, knowing he would stay up all night trying to figure everything out.

Elrond stopped for a moment, but quickly resumed his walking, chuckling lightly at the young elf. He was lucky to have such a wonderful family.

His expression turned stern as he clenched a fist at his side. He would _not_ allow this no-named elf to get his hands on Legolas.

Legolas and Aragorn said their goodnights to the twins and went into the blonde's chambers, this time with no one chasing after them.

They grabbed a blanket and pillow from Legolas' closet and threw it onto the couch.

The archer looked from the couch to Aragorn. "I can—"

"Do not even think of it, Legolas. This is _your_ bedchamber; you are sleeping in _your_ bed," the young man said firmly, stopping the elf. Really, he should know better by now.

Legolas merely gave his friend a small smile in return. Though the smile was small it was filled with warmth and a deep appreciation. Under the words was an unspoken promise that the chambers he stood in would always be his; there would always be a place for him in Imladris and that there really was no problem with him being there, despite this killer.

Aye, he knew his friend well enough to pick that up and he grinned at the thought.

Legolas flopped back onto his bed, arms stretched above him as he let out a heavy sigh. He closed his eyes.

Aragorn chuckled at his friend's actions and sat beside him on the bed.

"You laughing at me, human?" the blonde asked, cracking an eye open.

"Always, my friend. Always." The words were sad and nearly crushed Legolas' heart. He knew what the problem was and also knew that he could do nothing to improve the situation. Nothing except… No, he promised he would not do anything. He had to hold to that.

He watched the dark-haired man beside him closely. He couldn't see his face, but that was not needed, he could tell how depressed he felt by his body language: the way he slouched and looked down at his hands.

"Forgive me," Legolas stated once again. He couldn't help it, especially not when he saw Aragorn like this.

"Stop apologizing, for there is no need. Indeed it is good to see you and know you are safe," Aragorn said, his voice sounding strong and relieved.

_I wish you would visit more often,_ he thought. He didn't speak the words since he knew how pointless it would be. Legolas was a prince and had his duties, especially with being the only child and heir. Speaking his wish would only cause more harm than good and deepen Legolas' already crestfallen mood.

Nothing was said in return, but nothing was needed. Legolas' gratefulness practically radiated off of him as he smiled wider than before.

Minutes of comfortable silence passed before either said anything.

Aragorn had turned to the elf, sitting cross-legged on the bed.

"Do you remember who the necklace belongs to?" Legolas suddenly asked quietly, glancing at the stormy-eyed man beside him.

Aragorn shook his head dejectedly. "Do you?"

"Nay," the blonde said even softer than the question before. "What should we do?"

Silence. Then, a wearied sigh. "I know not, mellon-nin. Perhaps in the morn Ada shall have found something," the man said encouragingly.

Legolas sat up and got off the bed, patting Aragorn's shoulder in thanks on his way.

He changed into his nightclothes and sat back down on the bed, beside his friend.

Legolas hugged Aragorn tightly. He was glad to be back with his friends, it had really been too long. It didn't really matter about the circumstances so much, even though it did lessen the fun quite a bit, but he still got to visit. He was able to see his friends; maybe he'd even be able to help them solve the mystery. The necklace was a major clue and he knew it. However, no matter how hard he thought about it, he could not think of whom it belonged to.

Aragorn and Legolas soon settled down for sleep, Legolas in his bed and Aragorn on the couch.

That night, both friends fell into a restless sleep, trying to remember the silver and blue item's owner.

* * *

So, there ya have it. Hope you all enjoyed; don't forget to let me know. n.n

Now, unfortunately, Mid-Winter Break is over and I have to go back to school Monday (..:sighs:..) but that cannot be helped. Because of this updates will slow down again… Not that they were really going that fast anyway. But we shall see. I have the next chapter ready to go—for the most part—so… yeah. I still need to work on chapter five so I'll prob'ly post a one-shot after four. I dunno yet.

Thanks to everyone reviewing, and to all of you lurkers out there. n.n

Ja ne


	4. Gone

**Disclaimer**: I don't own anything to do with LotR.

Finally, huh? XD I didn't mean to forget it! I posted a one-shot to make up for it, called Should Have Known, went up the same day the site went down. XD ..:ahem:..

Well, here you all go. Hope you all enjoy it. n.n

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**Hunted**

**Chapter Four: Gone**

Much to Legolas and Aragorn's dismay, Elrond hadn't been able to figure out who the lost necklace belonged to. Despite the archer's caring reminder, the elder elf did not sleep either. In fact, the words had only served to keep him awake, for he needed to do everything he could to keep Legolas safe.

Needless to say, Elrond was exhausted. During the morning meal the others had inquired about his state of health and, much to his amusement, Legolas reprimanded him for not sleeping. He had just smiled in return. His sons—including Legolas—had not appreciated this gesture, to say the least.

They had spent the rest of the day in the garden—one of Legolas' favorite places of Imladris. They had convinced Elrond to go and relax with them, to take a break. However, the elf-lord had not stayed long, unable to calm his mind while the murderer was on the loose; possibly plotting the next death, which could be Legolas' for all they knew. None of them would allow that to come to pass. Elrond had retreated to his study, getting barely an hour of rest; even being an elf he was pushing his limits.

The other four had watched sadly as he left, being unable to convince him to stay longer.

The elder elf still attended the afternoon meal, taking a break from his intensive work to check on the others.

Later that day, Legolas, Aragorn and the twins decided that they would go up to Elrond's study and help him. They hated the fact that he was holed up in there while they were outside enjoying the radiant sun and the smell of the outdoors; just being able to relax with him doing nothing but try to solve this case drove all the fun out of anything they did, and made them feel guilty.

…………

Elrond looked up at the door in expectation, praying that it was Elendur with news; good news, the kind that would help catch the killer.

At his approval, the door opened to reveal his sons and Legolas. To say he was surprised would be an understatement.

His eyes widened with a sudden thought. "Did you remember…?" he asked, saying the last word slowly as he trailed off when both Legolas and Aragorn shook their heads, eyes closed as if ashamed.

"No matter," the elder elf tried to make it seem of little importance, fighting his disappointment. It wasn't disappointment in the two friend's inability to remember, but the fact that he had gotten his hopes up when he had known better. "Has something happened?" he queried again, there had to be some reason for their unexpected visitation. He knew there hadn't been another murder, for they would have entered in a much more panicked manner; without knocking.

"Nay, we merely wish to help you," Legolas answered. Even though they had all been thinking it, Legolas had been the first to suggest going to help the stressed elf-lord.

Elrond stared wide-eyed at the four, openly displaying his surprise, it had been so sudden. His expression softened and he smiled.

From then on, Aragorn, Legolas and the twins helped the elder elf, making a habit out of it. They knew Elrond appreciated it and that it also eased his mind, enabling him to calm down.

…………

A couple weeks passed by without clues or revelations. They were all stressed and weary, unsure of what to do. All of them wished that they could just forget about the mad elf and have the fun they usually did, the fun that Legolas had been expecting. They still took breaks from the tedious work every once in a while, going to the garden, riding in the forest, relaxing in the library; even going to the archery range (where Legolas won the contest Elrohir had been so persistent about). They did the things that they usually did… except for one thing: they could not pull pranks, which was one of their favorite things to do. However, they held back, knowing the elf-lord would be extremely upset if they attracted too much attention. The killer was still out there somewhere, out there looking for the next victim, watching for heads covered in gold.

They were grateful for there being no more deaths at least. They had continued to ask people (the ones they knew they could trust) if they knew who the necklace's owner was. No one had known.

Another week passed; still their quest proved to be fruitless. It was amazing at how well this murderer had hidden his tracks, even with the necklace nothing had turned up.

No one seemed to know anything about it, never even seen it before. Perhaps they were just asking the wrong people. Aragorn and Legolas seemed to be the only ones that had laid eyes on it, and neither could recall the killer's face; they only knew the elf was male, which did little to narrow it down.

Everyone was wound tightly, anxiousness eating at them as they fervently continued their mission; praying that another elf would not die. It had already been nearly a month since the last death.

Elrond was on edge and would snap at anyone if they even suggested he take a break—for sleep or otherwise, even if he knew they had only good intensions. He was exhausted, and near collapse from the lack of sleep, only resting a few hours a day.

Aragorn had been forced into his chambers to sleep, being literally carried there when he refused, despite dozing off too many times to count. With his struggles and arguments, Legolas had finally just given up and picked the sleep-deprived human up. The blonde had ignored all comments as he tightened his hold on his friend who had been blatantly embarrassed by the arrangement.

Even with the protests, Aragorn had fallen asleep as soon as he had been dumped on the bed, shoes on and all. Out of habit, Legolas closed the door behind them as the three left, chuckling lightly—one of the only times they had laughed all day.

Legolas, Elladan and Elrohir went to their own chambers, deciding that getting some sleep was good for everyone. They just wished they had been able to get Elrond to do the same.

…………

The door creaked loudly against the silence of the home, the occupants having long-since gone to sleep, all but a few were exceptions to this.

The blonde immediately awoke by this unexpected sound. Everyone was asleep, who could it be?

He loosened up, wanting it to appear as though he was still getting some much needed sleep.

The intruder stepped through the doorway and slowly started to make his way to the bed.

The elf inwardly frowned at the sound of the footsteps. It sounded different, heavier.

Then it hit him: they were strange because they weren't an elf's. He deserved to be smacked for his foolishness. He supposed the strain from the mad elf had gotten to him a lot more than he had realized.

"You should not try to sneak up on people," he said, the smile behind his voice giving away the solemn expression he wore.

Opening blue eyes, he stared into stormy ones that were filled with shock. The eyes then frowned at him, the concern seen in them becoming even more deeply rooted.

"You are sleeping with your eyes closed," the human said matter-of-factly, clearly not pleased.

"And you are entering bedchambers unannounced."

"Legolas," Aragorn said in exasperation.

Said elf sighed heavily, filled with defeat. "What would you have me do? I can do naught else but help protect your home."

The words were met with silence, the man having no idea how to respond.

"Why are you here and not resting, mellon-nin?" The question was asked softly as if to lessen the harshness of his last comment.

"I was worried; you were left alone and my door was closed," Aragorn said sadly. "I did not mean to wake you."

"'Tis you who should be sleeping," the blonde said, avoiding the young man's comment about being alone. He knew it. He _knew_ how worried the others were, how uptight they were, how fearful they were, how… How he felt as if he was being watched—_hunted_ like a helpless pray being chased like a plaything for an unknown predator's sick pleasure.

"Legolas…" The grey eyes darkened in sadness. He had awoken to find neither his brothers nor his best friend beside him; how it had been since the prince had arrived and he had panicked. He had feared something terrible had happened to Legolas.

"Forgive me," Legolas said crestfallen. He hadn't even thought about leaving the human's chambers or even closing the door, it was out of habit alone.

"Nay." Aragorn shook his head. "You are well; there was no harm done."

It was still late into the night—well past midnight—and they decided to get the rest of their needed sleep. The two settled down in the same arrangement as before, or whenever they were able to make it back to their chambers. Sometimes they could not prevent it and fell asleep wherever they were looking for clues at. Once Aragorn even came close to sleeping in one of the victim's chambers. That had only been a couple days ago and that had proved just how tired the human really was.

When Legolas woke up the next morning, he figured a bath was in order. It would help calm his frayed nerves and help him think more clearly.

About twenty minutes later, he nearly jumped out of the bath and into his chambers (where Aragorn still was) without putting clothes on.

He quickly dried himself off and donned his clothes; then he ran to Aragorn.

"What is it, Legolas?" the ranger asked, standing up as soon as he saw the elf. He was afraid that something had happened this time with how rushed he was. Was the mad elf after him now? From his bath would be… odd, but definitely unexpected.

"I know whose it is!" the blonde shouted excitedly in a quick reply.

Aragorn immediately stopped any and all movement; all thoughts except of what his friend had just implied. "The necklace?" he asked in disbelief.

"Aye." Legolas nodded in affirmation, his excitement clearly seen by how he fidgeted. "'Tis Lindil's. Remember? He showed us it when he came back from a village; said it belonged to his mother." He couldn't remember the name of the village, though, and wondered if that would be important.

It took Aragorn a while, but it finally dawned on him. "Ai, how could we have forgotten!" he asked rhetorically, smacking his forehead. Then, he froze. "Wait, is he not dead?"

"Aye; a year ago he was murdered." Legolas frowned, pondering. "Mayhap he gave it to someone before he passed?" he suggested.

The excitement left Aragorn's expression as he realized what that meant. They had gotten nowhere. Just when they thought they had figured it out.

He sighed deeply, a sound that wrenched at Legolas' heart; full of despair. "What do we do now?" the man questioned, sounding more at a loss than he had ever before.

Legolas shook his head, shrugging. "Perhaps we should tell your father what we have discovered. Tell him that finding who owned it is pointless, and that we need to find out who he passed it on to." Here he paused. "However, I have not the slightest clue as to how to go about that."

"Nor do I," Aragorn said sadly. After a moment's consideration, "Let us go tell him. He needs the information regardless. We can try to convince him to sleep," he added with a smirk.

Legolas laughed lightly with his best friend and then they made their way to Elrond's study with the news. They prayed that it would somehow be useful.

Arriving at the study, Aragorn knocked on the door. Upon permission, the two entered to find a weary-eyed Elrond inside.

"Adar, you need to sleep," Aragorn said worriedly. His father's health was more important than finding the killer at the moment. If the elf-lord were to collapse who knew what would happen if they did find who the mad elf was.

"Has something happened?" the elder elf ignored the advice, and good advice it was indeed. He knew he was pushing his limit. He wouldn't doubt it if he were to give in to his body's demands soon; his eyes were even beginning to close on their own. He just feared how long he would sleep if he did.

Both Aragorn and Legolas sighed deeply in exasperation.

"Nothing, as you well know," the young man answered. "We have some news; whether it is good or not, you can decide."

Elrond's eyebrows rose in curiosity and he stood tall, daring to hope.

"We know who the necklace belongs to," Legolas started. He echoed his sigh, though this one spoke of despair. "However, he died almost a year ago. It was Lindil's."

Elrond slumped back in his chair. Bringing his hand up to his face, he rubbed his forehead, taking a deep breath. "So…" he thought aloud, exhaling; coming up short. He was exhausted and one of the things he had been staying up for had ended up being pointless.

"Well, we figured that Lindil gave it to someone. And… Lindil was murdered, right?" A nod. "We were thinking that this… mad elf is probably one of Lindil's friends or family members out for revenge."

"Alright," Elrond said, pondering the words. At least they were getting somewhere now. "Do you have anyone in mind?"

There was a long period of silence after these words as the two friends chewed on the question.

Again, it was the elf who spoke first. "It could have been Delnen. They were always seen together." He paused, thinking and then frowned. "However, I believe he left Imladris, did he not?"

"Aye, about six months ago," Aragorn confirmed.

Elrond nodded, bringing a hand down to his chin in deep thought. He should have consulted the two before! He supposed they had just needed time to remember.

"He could still be around," the elf-lord mused. No one had seen anyone in the forests, but that did not mean that they weren't there, especially since this killer was an elf—a mad one at that—and an incredibly cunning one. He had slipped their notice how many times now? Still, he left no traces but the necklace. Hopefully that would prove to be his downfall. They could not afford more deaths. Others would stop trade, visitation, and other needs in fear of death. Also, Legolas' life was in extreme danger, he reminded himself again. The thought never strayed far.

His mind made up, he peeked out of his study and… found what he was looking for: a passing maid. He beckoned the young maiden and said, "Bring Elendur to me."

"Aye, my lord," she replied with a bow and then left, forgetting her other tasks for the moment.

Minutes later, she returned with Elendur and bowed before leaving, knowing she was dismissed by a thank you from Elrond.

The brown-haired elf stood tall in front of his lord, full of a thousand questions, but holding them in, waiting for the elder elf to speak first.

"Have you found anything?" Elrond asked. It would be useful if he knew something too; they could never have too much information.

A dejected shake of the chestnut hair was his answer.

The elder elf nodded, expecting as much. "We may know who is doing this awful deed."

Elendur's eyes widened in pure surprise at the great news. "We think it is Delnen's," he finished.

"But… he left," the young elf said in disbelief.

Elrond told him what Legolas had recalled, with some input from the blonde.

"So what I want for you to do is to search the surrounding forests thoroughly," the elf-lord concluded. "Bring some of your most trusted men and do not leave 'til you are absolutely sure no one is there. Is that clear?"

"Aye, my lord," Elendur said softly, the disbelief still clinging to his mind tightly. It was excellent news that they had gotten somewhere, though. He just prayed that they would be able to find Delnen so this whole ordeal would be resolved.

"Hannon le, Elendur," Elrond said gratefully with a smile.

The brown-haired elf nodded, speechless and bowed.

The door clicked quietly behind him.

"Valar, please let us be right and keep Elendur safe," Legolas prayed, unsure of what would happen in the forest. The wait would surely kill them all, for who knew how long this would take…

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So… what do you guys think? I'm not too sure.

Next chapter shouldn't be as long of a wait, but it all depends on when I'm able to type it up. I don't have to worry about forgetting it for another two weeks now. XDD;;

Ja ne


	5. Overwhelmed

**Disclaimer**: Don't own. Never will.

Sorry guys! I didn't mean for the wait to be so long, but peoples in my house didn't give me time to type it up. ;-; Forgive me!

I'll let ya get on with this, though. We all know the wait's been long enough! -.-

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**Hunted**

**Chapter Five: Overwhelmed**

Elendur and his men had searched and searched and searched. Nothing. Nothing was found in the forest. Nothing that they could see.

They had been searching Imladris' forests for nearly two weeks now. The first of which they still scoured. They had a lot of ground to cover yet as well. Too much.

He, and the others that accompanied him, had been given hope, had had it when they had first set out, however, the string it dangled on threatened to snap with each passing night.

They would keep looking. Oh yes, they would keep at it until they had either found the killer or carried out their order. Hopefully it would be the former.

The ones who awaited their return wished the same and were just as weary. Legolas and Aragorn feared their theory was wrong; that it wasn't Delnen who had been given the necklace—if it had been given away at all.

The only thing that helped any of them in this matter was that Elrond was now receiving an agreeable amount of sleep; nightly. They had convinced him it was useless to force himself further beyond his limits if he could do nothing but wait. The days would pass quicker at any rate.

They continued to look for clues (searching victims' chambers again, going over the notes Elrond had written about the murders, the possibilities, etc.) but they still only had Legolas and Aragorn's theory, which would have been reassuring if Elendur had sent word, a good one. They could all use it—one of the few things that could be said with certainty.

That morning the pressure mounted even greater with the calling of another death, another victim to add to the ever-growing list.

However, upon looking at the body, they noticed that the killer had slipped; instead of the usual slit and kill there were two wounds, the first one obviously hadn't done the job. They hoped this meant that the mad elf was getting nervous. Perhaps they were right after all.

Legolas stooped down next to the bloody corpse and stared at a green object close to it, forehead creased with a frown.

Aragorn stood beside his friend. "What is it?" he asked curiously; not knowing what his friend had found so interesting.

Despite Elrond's demands of not touching anything, Legolas reached out and grabbed the object that close enough to the body to show that it had been put there on purpose, especially since none of the crimson liquid that had been spilt touched it.

"A… A leaf," the prince muttered barely above a whisper.

All conversation stopped and Elrond, the twins and another warrior who was speaking to them, turned to Legolas with dread.

They saw the bright green leaf held delicately in Legolas' shaking hand and felt a cold grip them.

"It's just a coincidence, right? It could have been tracked in when he entered through the balcony," Elrohir said hopefully, quietly, as if he didn't believe his own words and, in truth, he didn't. Nothing had been tracked in with any of the other cases.

"Nay," Elrond said, his voice cracking with fear, "that tree does not grow outside these balconies and there are no prints on that leaf."

Aragorn fell, sitting down next to the blonde—the dead and alive one. His mind was numb with the fear for his friend's life. He could barely think, and what he could think of, was the leaf that was held in the shaking hand.

Elladan had also swayed on his feet; if it hadn't been for Elrohir, he probably would have collapsed. This hit them harder than any thought possible. Their friend's life was in a lot more danger than they had realized.

Legolas just continued to stare at the green leaf, his heart pounding mercilessly. Now they knew for sure: the killer was aware of his presence in Imladris; probably even knew they were all looking for him. He only watched Legolas, though.

Did this mean that he didn't reside in the forest? Perhaps it wasn't Delnen after all. They couldn't have been right with all their speculations, could they? They had hoped so, but it certainly didn't seem that way now.

Elrond focused on the small green leaf, they were everywhere so not much of a hint there. It was just set there to show them all that he knew the golden-haired Prince of Mirkwood was there. A warning. That's what it was and the killer had set it well. Why warn them, though? That made no sense, unless the mad elf was getting some sick type of pleasure seeing how fearful they were over Legolas' life.

The elf-lord looked at Legolas, staring into the sapphire orbs. The determination radiating from them scared him even more than the warning. What was Legolas planning?

"Legolas, please do not do anything rash," he said, feeling it necessary.

And the fiery determination simmered down to understanding.

The prince wished for nothing more than to march right outside, loudly call out to the killer and resolve everything right then and there. However, he had made a promise, a promise that he had to keep, no matter how much he wanted to take it back. If he had his choice, though, he would not be kneeling there, pocketing the leaf—for a reminder—as he tried to reassure the ones around him.

He felt the others' burning gazes watching him as he turned back to pretend like he was focusing on the body, trying to figure things out.

He sighed heavily, shifting his bright blue eyes towards them. "I will not do anything," he reiterated firmly. They obviously thought differently and he did not blame them. "It's fine. Let us get back to work." He had to get everyone back on track. He couldn't help the feeling of anxiousness that rose to the surface or the way his heart sped up like a running horse, but there was nothing he could do. He would have to wait it out… for the moment. He didn't know how much more waiting he could handle. He did know that Aragorn, Elladan and Elrohir were all going to cling to him a lot more now.

He frowned at the thought. As much as he loved them, it was getting to be a bit overwhelming.

The five checked every inch of the chambers, making sure it was impossible that they had missed a spot. Still, nothing had been found and they were left worse off than before.

The only knowledge they had gained was that the killer knew Legolas was there. While that was useful—in one sense—it caused the panic to rise in them and made it hard to think.

The archer had been right, much to his frustration. They were all over him now and didn't give him a second to himself. The only times he could get relief from them were baths; even then, if he tried to stretch them into longer than usual, they would check on him and make sure he was alright. He had had to bite his tongue far too many times to hold back retorts that would doubtlessly hurt them, for he knew they only cared deeply for him… as annoying as that was under these circumstances.

However, he had had enough and strove for a way to escape their ever-watchful gazes and relentless questioning. He had to do something before he exploded and lost his temper completely.

After the evening meal, he made his way to his chambers, the brothers right beside him, as per usual.

They sat around, talking for a while until Legolas stood from his chair. It had been long enough; if not, too bad. _He_ had waited too long.

The others looked at him curiously; it was plainly written on their faces: what are you doing? they asked.

"I'm going to take a bath and relax," the prince replied, implying that he would stay in their longer than usual.

They nodded and got the hint. They understood, or thought they did. The young elf was under a lot of stress, especially since the green leaf had been so cunningly placed.

Three pairs of eyes watched him, even as he made the short desistance from his chair to the bathing-chambers. He sincerely hoped that was out of sympathy rather than fear.

Legolas sighed yet again—he seemed to be doing that a lot recently—but said nothing. Shutting the door behind him, he leaned heavily against it as he closed his eyes in relief.

He opened them seconds later—couldn't waste time.

The bath was already drawn, the maid having anticipated his need.

However, the only need it had satisfied was the one that made it possible to continue his ruse and he silently thanked the maid.

One of the main reasons he had chosen these chambers was that the bathing-chambers adjoined to it had a window… with curtains, of course. Sometimes (especially when he first arrived), before or after his bath, he would sit near it and watch the nature around him; he'd close his eyes often, too, just to hear it. This time, however, hearing or seeing it was not in his plans, he wanted to do both, and more.

He prayed he would not be caught.

Looking back at the door, Legolas was able to hear the light chatter coming from Aragorn and the twins.

Good.

He nodded and turned back to the window. Unhooking the latch and opening it, he breathed in the fresh air, briefly closing his eyes again.

The wood-elf quickly reopened them. He would have plenty of time for that later.

He stuck his head out of the window and, looking left and right, he found no one around.

Legolas gracefully jumped out and closed the window behind him, obviously unable to re-latch it.

He almost started laughing, he was so relieved. However, he pulled himself together before that could happen. A big grin was plastered on his face as he walked away. Running would be too suspicious if someone was to round the corner, but he could not slow his quick pace as excited as he was. It wasn't very likely for someone to see him at this time of night anyway.

He felt guilty for deceiving Aragorn and the twins for what he was doing. However, he was suffocating under their constant presence and endless words of concern. Really, they should have known better by now. He had to minimize his little adventure to forty-five minutes—at the most. Surely, they would check on him despite his need of relaxation if it passed that mark.

He was lucky the night was so refreshing, the moon nearly full casting its pale light on the trees and bushes, creating reflections in fountains, the stars scattered across the dark blanket on the cloudless night. Perfect night for his trick.

The archer found a clearing with different types of trees surrounding the area, the breeze occasionally daring to disrupt the calmness.

He breathed deeply and let himself fall onto the thick, rich grass. He stared up at the night sky, enjoying the solitude as the stars twinkled at him.

Legolas completely relaxed, his hands under his head, legs stretched out as he lay there in the silent night. He closed his eyes and felt himself drift. He was too comfortable to remember he was supposed to go back to his chambers in less than twenty minutes; even if he did recall, he wasn't so sure he'd be able to force himself up.

Soon, Legolas was asleep, a tranquil look covering his face for the first time since he had arrived; all thoughts about the murderer fled his mind to be replaced by a feeling of utmost content.

* * *

There ya go. n.n Hope you enjoyed it and haven't lost interest! I did figure out that my bro doesn't pester or question if he sees me typing so I might be able to type more often… depends on where he is. XD We shall see. I can guarantee that an update won't be by this weekend, though. Goin' to Sakura-con (anime convention)! So excited. n.n;;

Don't forget. You can go here: http / nightshadow131 .livejournal .com for info and whatnot. n.n

I'll try to update a lot faster than this one, though. I promise. n.n Sorry again.

Ja ne


	6. Anger

**Disclaimer**: I do now own LotR.

Yes... well, we all agreed on one thing for sure last chapter: Legolas is an idiot. XD Lol, I know, I know. But... he needed time alone. C'mon, give the poor elf some sympathy. XD And this would have been out sooner, but my dad decided to nuke (get rid of _everything_) his computer and not give us any profiles so... yeah. Couldn't save it really. Haven't really been able to do anything I usually do this whole weekend. ;-; ..:sighs:.. Oh well, I'll let you guys read now. n.n

Hope you enjoy. I dunno how much I really like this, but... whatever. Don't forget to let me know what you think, 'kay? 'Kay. n.n;;

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**Hunted **

**Chapter Six: Anger**

The trees were restless, branches swayed, the wind howling, leaves crunching beneath someone's careless steps. The sound of a sword being unsheathed, the metal screaming as it left its protection.

He thought it was all another dream, for it felt so unreal. It wasn't until the cool touch of the blade was against his throat that he realized it was either an extremely detailed dream or that it was, in fact, reality. He decided on the latter when the sharp edge pressed harder. His warrior instincts took over.

Crystal blue eyes snapped open wide as he kicked at the assailant, knocking him back in surprise. Luckily, he had done it in time to where the blade merely grazed his skin, leaving a bright crimson trail across once unmarred flesh.

He glared at the elf before him. "Delnen," he growled.

Delnen had long dark hair, brown eyes and looked like he barely ate anything; yet he gave off the feeling that he could take on even the strongest of elves. He looked like he had lost his mind with his eyes slightly glazed over, a sleepy look seen in each, but there was still knowledge seen within them, the cunning he had used for his murders.

"Your majesty," the mad elf said, bowing mockingly, "you should not be sleeping outside all alone."

The blood streaked sword was raised again, at the ready.

For once, Legolas was incredibly grateful for Aragorn and the twin's over-protectiveness, for, without it, he wouldn't have had a weapon. He had taken his twin knives, figuring that, if they were going to force him into carrying around a weapon _everywhere_ he went, it should be his own. The knives were small, too, so they had been easy to hide.

The golden-haired prince unsheathed the knives, flipping them out in front of him, getting into his fighting stance. "Let us get this over with," he said with steely resolve. He had been waiting for this moment, had even wanted to initiate it. Now that it was there, he felt almost nervous as if it was his first fight. This elf had killed so many others; only one of which had detected his presence. None had been able to put up resistance.

He closely watched the murderer, unblinkingly waiting for the first move.

…………

"Legolas?" Aragorn questioned, softly knocking on the door. The elf should have been done by now, it had been an hour; even if he had desperately needed to relax and get a break from them. The human knew they had probably been going overboard, but they had just been too worried with how careless Legolas usually was, especially since he had picked up the green leaf.

Now his panic rose to a whole new level when he heard no noises from the bathing-chamber.

Aragorn, Elladan and Elrohir all exchanged wary glances before the ranger knocked loudly this time, thinking that perhaps the wearied archer had fallen asleep.

No answer. No sound.

Fearing the worst, Aragorn quickly opened the door and was puzzled.

"Legolas…?" he whispered in confusion, stepping into the chambers and looking around.

"Where is he?" Elladan asked, going ahead of Aragorn.

A quick glance around the chamber answered their fear: Legolas wasn't there.

Suddenly, the wind picked up, thundering against the window, which rattled under the pressure.

The three frowned, for usually the window would not do such a thing.

Elrohir inspected it; eyebrows furrowed, he pushed slightly on it.

It opened.

It had been unlatched recently, for they often checked, especially now to make sure the mad elf had no point of entry.

Elrohir said nothing, only looked at Aragorn and Elladan with horror at the possibilities.

Then he turned back and opened the window wide, sliding outside with ease. They needed to find Legolas—no time to waste going around to a door.

"Elladan, go tell Ada," Aragorn said hurriedly, hoping the elf wouldn't argue. Elrond needed to be informed of this, perhaps he had seen Legolas.

Elladan opened his mouth to protest, but seeing the helpless look in his brother's eyes, he closed it and nodded. He knew how close Aragorn was to Legolas and could not make him go to their father instead.

"Be careful, Estel," he said caringly. Then he turned and left the bathing-chamber, hoping he'd run into the elf-lord on the way or, if not, that he'd be in his study.

Much to his dismay, he hadn't run into his father in the halls, but he did find him in his study, head on his desk, sleeping. Well, at least he had been easy to find and he definitely needed the rest. However, now wasn't the time; as much as he didn't want to, he gently shook Elrond, softly saying his name.

Immediately, the elf-lord shot up, eyes wide, looking around, before finally focusing on his eldest son. One look at Elladan and he could instantly tell that something was wrong. He abruptly stood and asked, "What happened? Is Legolas alright?"

"Legolas is missing. He left through the window in his bathing-chamber. Elrohir and Estel are looking for him," Elladan answered hastily. He wanted to get out there and help his brothers search for their friend. Knowing Legolas' habits, they would need it, for, if the blonde had settled down somewhere, it would have been somewhere they wouldn't expect. He had wanted to get away from his pestering friends; of that, Elladan was certain of. He felt guilty and was sure Elrohir and Aragorn felt the same. However, there was nothing they could do about it now.

Without waiting for a response, Elladan turned and left, going to the area outside of Legolas' escape route, sure his father was right behind him.

On the way, Elrond stopped briefly, and told one of his guards to send out a search party for the missing prince who was in extreme danger. He didn't care if he was being paranoid or overly cautious. The green leaf behind held between slender fingers never left his mind. He had to do everything to make sure that the one who had been threatened, the one he would give his life for, would live.

Elrond hurried after his son, who waited impatiently for him while he gave orders. Then they ran to find their beloved blonde elf.

…………

Aragorn sighed when Elladan left, grateful that he hadn't argued. Then he quickly followed after Elrohir, running to catch up with him, feeling an ice-cold fear grip his heart, numbing his mind.

What if the killer had already gotten to Legolas? What if they were too late?

He mentally shook his head. He couldn't afford such thoughts, not when his dearest friend's life was in such peril. They had to make it in time. They _would_ make it.

However, he still couldn't shake off the bad feeling that had nestled itself into his heart.

He caught up with Elrohir and ran beside him, both keeping a sharp eye out for Legolas.

…………

Legolas bit back a cry of pain when Delnen's blade ripped into his side. Gritting his teeth, he forced himself to stay upright despite his body's command to curl into itself.

The mad elf had injuries of his own, a deep gash to his left thigh and a smaller one on his left shoulder. Those, however, hardly slowed him down; if anything, it fueled his need to fight, to kill. None of the others had been strong enough to put up any fight and, while that had been good for covering his tracks, he had started to wish for someone worthy. The young, warrior prince of Mirkwood was definitely worthy.

Both elves were breathing heavily, willing their bodies not to falter or stumble, to not give in to blood loss. It was an easy thing to do really, when one's life was in danger.

Delnen attacked again, strongly and ruthlessly, but still with his given elven grace and speed.

Each blow shook Legolas' body, his arms straining with the continued effort, pain shooting through his bleeding side. He was forced to stay on the defensive side as the quick attacks gave little room to do anything else.

Finding an opening, the blonde ducked and thrust a knife at Delnen's abdomen.

However, Delnen, having years of experience, changed his stance, and blocked the knife; knocking it out of Legolas' grip, preventing the would-be fatal wound. He whipped around and sliced a deep cut into the archer's back.

Legolas immediately collapsed under the sword, gasping in pain.

Before he could regain his footing—or breath—a foot was heavily pressed onto his back; directly over the newly-acquired injury and he couldn't stop the cry of pain that escaped his lips.

Delnen smirked, raising his sword.

Another one down.

…………

The four had met up while searching for Legolas and were now doing so together; still with no luck.

Finally, after what must have been an eternity, they heard the sound of metal singing against metal, followed by a pained cry.

Instantly, Legolas' name screamed at them and they ran faster towards the sound, pain gripping them tighter than before.

The sight they were greeted with did nothing to reassure them.

Legolas was helpless under the mad elf's control, the elf they found to be none other than Delnen. All of their efforts had been in vain, for here there friend was; at the mercy of the one they had been desperately searching for.

They bit back a scream of the prince's name and gave silent commands to each other to split up and surround the killer.

However, they were left with no time, the gleaming blade; stark in the darkness came down on Legolas.

Giving no thought to his actions, Elrond grabbed the dagger at his side and threw it with well-trained accuracy, at the murderer.

He was grateful for the fact that he had decided to carry the weapon around ever since it had become apparent that the killings weren't going to stop.

At the last second, Delnen jumped out of the dagger's path and looked at the elf-lord with glazed eyes.

Aragorn, who had gone to the right when they had split, charged the mad elf from behind. Enraged by the interruption, Delnen easily blocked the attack and knocked the human to the ground.

Elrond had reached Legolas, using the distraction wisely, and the twins had joined their brother in the fight.

"Legolas?" said the elder elf, deeply concerned by the blood loss and the way his breath came in quick gasps, eyes scrunched up tightly.

The young elf managed to open his eyes and look at Elrond dazedly before re-closing them and then going limp.

Elrond's eyes widened in fear and he quickly grabbed Legolas' outstretched arm, checking the pulse. Relieved to find one, he looked towards his sons, fighting for their lives—and Legolas'.

Anger replaced relief and he picked up one of the twin knives that Legolas had been forced to discard, deciding to try his luck again.

Waiting for an opening, he forced himself to calm down so he would be able to aim correctly.

All three of his sons suddenly charged and Elrond had his opening.

Carefully aiming, he threw the knife…

* * *

And there ya have it. Legolas was saved (or was he?). Delnen was caught; is he going to live or die? Yeah, enough with the stupid questions. Hope you guys enjoyed a little, though. I know. I'm still horrible at fighting scenes. I'm trying, I'm trying. I'll get them one of these times. XDD …I hope.

I've had too many other fics on my mind recently and really want to write the others. I'm almost actually finished with seven. Pens keep dying on me. Three within two days. ..:shakes head:.. They hate me. n.n Good news: out of the... six or so other fics I want to write, there are two LotR one-shots, and they're on the top of the list. XDDD I need some way to write everything at once. Any ideas? XD;; Don't forget to check out this: http/ nightshadow131 .livejournal .com to get info and whatnot. n.n

Anyway, let me know what you thought of the chapter. n.n Always appreciated. Just don't be too harsh, I'm not that happy with this chapter either. XD


	7. Hands

**Disclaimer**: I do not own LotR.

So finally we have chapter seven. n.n I hope you all enjoy it. And thank you so much for all your wonderful reviews! They're very much appreciated, especially since I was so unsure of the last chapter. Means a lot to me guys; thanks! n.n

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**Hunted**

**Chapter Seven: Hands**

Elrond's aim was true and the dagger was deeply embedded into Delnen's chest.

The mad elf dropped to the ground, clutching the weapon, shock written on his face.

However, the elf-lord's attention was no longer on the dying elf who had caused so much suffering in his home. He found he actually didn't care if the elf lived or not, which was rare for the healer.

Legolas was his greatest concern at the moment. The young elf had lost a lot of blood and was losing more as the seconds passed. He needed to get him back to the healing wing quickly and he was grateful Legolas was unconscious for that. The pain it would cause his back and side would be excruciating were he able to feel it.

Since he couldn't waste any more time than he already had, he scooped the lifeless blonde into his arms and rushed him inside.

He spared only a moment's glance at his sons, hoping they would know to take care of Delnen.

Aragorn and the twins did understand but wished for nothing more than to follow after the elder elf and see if Legolas would be alright. The only thing that they knew was that the archer was unconscious and badly injured. Delnen had to be taken care of, however, for they couldn't just leave him there.

Even with the knowledge that taking the dagger out would only quicken his death, Delnen did just that. With one last attempt at killing the golden-haired prince, he returned the favor and threw the weapon towards the elf-lord, aiming it at Legolas since they had to pass him in order to get to the healing wing.

Fortunately, Aragorn had been keeping an eye on the culprit and had noticed it in time.

Knocking the dagger from Delnen's grasp, he punched him hard.

The mad elf fell down heavily with a gasp and then hissed in pain when his arms were pinned, a knee pressing on his chest, putting more and more weight the harder he tried to fight back.

Naturally, the struggle was short-lived since the pain and blood loss was quick to take effect.

Elladan and Elrohir had turned back to face the two when the glint of silver had caught their attention. Their eyes widened in shock when they found the struggle behind them and the discarded dagger next to them.

Immediately, both of them knew what had happened and were furious that Delnen would try such a thing again, especially since he had so blatantly been beaten.

Delnen's hiss soon turned into a snarl at the turn of events.

Aragorn's knee pressed harder, it wasn't over the wound, just near it; enough to keep the killer restrained.

"Lindil," Delnen suddenly whispered, distraught, "I'm sorry."

The three brothers blinked in confusion as they watched the murderer before them, the murderer they had been searching for, the one who had threatened their friend, the one who had hurt him. They wished for nothing more than to get the justice Legolas deserved, but they wanted to at least know why he had killed so many.

With the broken whisper of Lindil's name, Legolas and Aragorn's theory was most likely true.

"You are not doing him any favors by doing this, Delnen," Aragorn said sternly, almost sadly. He remembered a time when Delnen used to be so carefree and cheerful, especially when around Lindil. The both of them were always laughing.

The mad elf froze at the sound of his name, he hadn't heard it in so long (before, when Legolas had said it, it hadn't even registered such was his lust to fight). He actually mouthed the word, as if to taste it.

Elladan and Elrohir exchanged a glance, feeling sorry for the elf. However, he wasn't going to go unpunished, for he had tried to kill their friend; had almost succeeded.

"Lindil," Delnen softly repeated, thinking. He felt slightly guilty for killing in his friend's name, spoiling it, but he needed to be avenged; he would not let it go. He wouldn't get his chance now, though.

He suddenly coughed, crimson spraying as he turned his head, the instinct to curl into himself held back because of Aragorn's body still holding his.

The three brothers knew that there was no way Delnen was going to live much longer.

Aragorn had let up on his hold and lifted his knee.

"Lindil! Lindil!" the mad elf started shouting, pushing against Aragorn, movements frantic. He had to avenge him. He had to! No one knew how important Lindil had been to him. It didn't seem like anyone cared that he had been killed. Their search for the murderer had only lasted a few months, but he hadn't stopped. He had kept at it for years until he finally snapped and started killing blondes. He didn't care anymore; he would eventually get the right one.

"Estel! Hold him down," Elrohir commanded. They were slightly surprised by the renewed effort to get free.

Obviously, Delnen was hardly able to put much into it, for the blood loss was greatly affecting him now.

"This is all because of Lindil, is it not?" Elladan asked, hoping to get the whole truth from the killer.

"No," Delnen denied vehemently, "it's _for_ him."

"How is this for him? Do you honestly think he would want you to become a murderer?" Aragorn questioned, angry. He couldn't believe that someone could think it was right to do such a thing.

"You were the one who stopped looking for his killer, the one who had slaughtered him mercilessly and without reason! I had to do something!" the mad elf shouted, outraged. He started coughing again. More blood.

Delnen had seen a blonde elf jump out of the window of Lindil's bedchamber. It had been dark; the only reason he had been able to even notice that was because of the glow of the waning moon that night. When he had come into his friend's chambers after hearing the commotion he had only seen the back of the killer; the glimpse of golden hair, shining in the bright moonlight. He had told his lord and the others of what he saw. He hadn't touched anything but Lindil—he had been unable to help himself as he held the bloody corpse, crying over the loss. They had done so little, it seemed to him, and he had been furious over this. Therefore, he had taken matters into his own hands.

"We did not stop," the elder twin said softly, ignoring how hypocritical the dying elf was being. "There were no more leads; we had nothing to go by."

They all remembered the day that they had been forced to halt their investigation for lack of clues. Delnen had burst into their father's study hysteric; hadn't even knocked or announced himself. Legolas, Aragorn and the twins had all been present when this had happened. They knew he had been distraught and grievous but they hadn't thought he would go so far.

"You lie," Delnen growled out between teeth stained red.

He had gone totally limp under Aragorn, breath shallow, skin deathly pale.

Seconds later, his eyes slowly closed and his breathing stopped altogether.

Aragorn sighed heavily and sat down next to the lifeless body. It was a shame to see someone who had been so fun-loving reduced to what he was now or had been. They knew that, even if he hadn't died, he probably would have been executed for what he had done.

The three didn't know what to do with Delnen's body but, by that time, the guards had arrived. They were grateful to have the chance to go back to Legolas so, when they offered to take care of Delnen, they gladly accepted.

When they entered the healing chambers Elrond was just finishing up with treating Legolas' injuries.

They were immediately at Legolas' side, checking him over. He was even more pale than before—if possible—but he did seem to be breathing easier. His tunic and undershirt had been removed, showing the white bandages patched with red stains.

"Is he going to be alright?" Aragorn asked, looking over at his father, concern dripping from every word.

Elrond stopped washing his hands for a moment and glanced at his youngest briefly, before continuing.

"Aye," he finally answered. "He's lost a lot of blood, but he should be well. Just needs to rest."

Aragorn and the twins nodded, saying nothing. It seemed as though the elder elf wasn't exactly sure of his own words. The thought alone was enough to crush their hearts. They didn't know what to do; there was nothing else they could really do for Legolas.

Silence stretched between the four until Elrond spoke up in a whisper, "What of Delnen?"

"He's… no longer with us. Dûrele and Eldadil took care of him," Elladan replied.

The elf-lord merely nodded and looked back to the pale prince lying as still as a statue, the rise and fall of his chest barely visible.

Again, silence.

Then, Elrond sighed heavily and slumped into the chair beside Legolas' bed, drying his hands. Despite what had happened to the archer, he still felt sorry for Delnen. It was horrible to see someone end up like that.

"Was it how you thought?" he reluctantly asked Aragorn, who knew immediately what he meant.

The human solemnly nodded. "Aye. Revenge."

The elder elf echoed his earlier sigh. He looked towards the window and saw that stretches of dull light were starting to creep their way past the curtain. It was early morning now and they all needed sleep; some more than others, but a certain one had authority over the other three.

Elrond took care of what injuries his sons had, feeling guilty that he hadn't even looked before. It was just that Legolas' had been so severe, any later and he might not have survived.

The healer glanced back at the young elf, hands stilling on the bandage he was wrapping around Elrohir's arm.

"Ada?" the younger twin asked in worry.

Bringing his eyes and mind back to the task at hand, he replied, "It's nothing."

The others highly doubted that, but let it go, knowing their father was just as stubborn—if not more—than them. If he didn't want to say anything, then he wouldn't.

After Elrond had finished treating their injuries, which were all minor, he said, "Take rest, my sons."

"We are not leaving," Aragorn stated firmly. He would not leave Legolas' side again.

The elf-lord looked into the silver eyes, seeing steely resolve mixed with the guilt and sadness. Elladan and Elrohir had the same look.

"Fine," he gave in. "Please get some rest, though."

Aragorn, Elladan and Elrohir watched their father with shock. They had never heard him sound so defeated before. It didn't bode well for anyone. They knew Elrond needed more sleep than anyone, but knew that he would never sleep until Legolas was well so they wouldn't bother telling him to sleep. They thought that that might be one of the main causes of his change in behavior, however.

They lowered their gazes to Legolas' still form and slowly nodded. They would rest, but not right then. They needed to see their friend wake just as much as their father did.

They pulled up the other chairs in the chamber up to Legolas' bed, sitting on either side; Aragorn next to Elrond and Elladan and Elrohir on the other.

Every once in a while, the three would shift their gazes from the prince to the elder elf, deeply concerned by the wearied look in his eyes and the defeated way he carried himself. However, words did nothing so they sat there and waited, waited for blue eyes to open and reassure them all. They all desperately needed it.

It wasn't until late that night that their hearts leaped to their throats when they dared to believe Legolas' eyes had fluttered and were trying to open. When the young elf let out a pain-filled groan, they knew that their tired minds hadn't played a cruel trick on them.

Elrond stood close to the archer, a hand resting lightly on one of Legolas'.

When glazed, blue eyes finally met his, he smiled warmly, glad to see he had awoken. He patted the hand gently, and moved away to grab a cup of tea filled with the painkillers Legolas blatantly needed.

With utmost caution, he tried to feed the young elf it so he wouldn't feel any pain, though he knew it was inevitable, even with his sons help.

Legolas was gently lowered back onto the pillow, eyes closed as he dealt with the increase of pain as he waited for the painkillers to take effect.

After a few minutes, he reopened his eyes, eyes that now held some understanding and awareness.

"How are you feeling, penneth?" He had to ask, it was automatic; even if he knew he was going to get the customary, "Fine," from the blonde.

However, instead of that answer, the blue eyes fully opened as a thought hit him.

"Delnen!" he shouted, about to spring up, but caught himself in time, knowing that he would likely pass out from the agony it would cause. The others didn't seem to be worried about the mad elf either since they hadn't seemed agitated or rushed to explain the dangers to him—or yell about his foolishness… yet. He now dreaded that moment… almost as much as the time when he painkillers would wear-off.

Aragorn had gone to stop his friend from sitting up and was actually surprised when he stopped himself. He let out an inward sigh of relief at that. Legolas didn't need to suffer more.

"Worry not, mellon-nin, he will not hurt anyone ever again," Elrohir said softly.

Legolas turned to face the younger twin. "Who…?" he trailed off, not sure if he should really ask. After all, did it really matter? He knew that he mad elf was dead; he was curious as to who had killed him, for he knew he hadn't, most of the injuries he had given him were superficial.

Elrond lowered his head at the question.

In response, Elrohir nodded towards his father, knowing he didn't like the fact that he had killed Delnen, even if it had to be done.

Legolas' eyes widened, taken aback. He hadn't expected it to be the elf-lord.

It didn't really matter, though. Delnen was gone and would never kill another innocent.

The blonde slowly moved his hand to place it on Elrond's, holding back a wince with difficulty.

Elrond saw what the young elf was trying to do and gently grabbed the hand, wrapping his hands around it.

Legolas smiled warmly at him, appreciation shining through the bright blue orbs.

And Elrond smiled back, grateful to have Legolas still with them.

* * *

Well, there ya have it. Let me know what ya think, alright? If some of it seemed weird... ignore it. XD;;

Next chapter is the last. And, yes, I do have it finished. n.n Just have to type it up… I'll prob'ly post it sometime next week. I'll try my best. n.n

Check out my lj at http / nightshadow131 .livejournal .com for info about my next fics.

My kitty says hi. n.n;;; Same cat who's making it extremely difficult to type. XDD

Ja ne


	8. Friends Worry

**Disclaimer**: I do not own LotR.

Well, here ya have it: the last chapter. ;-; At least it was posted a lot sooner than recent ones, huh? n.n;;

Yeah, so… enjoy! Let me know what ya think. n.n

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**Hunted**

**Chapter Eight: Friends Worry**

A couple days passed and Elrond was the only one left awake.

Aragorn had been the first to fall asleep. He had been exhausted, for they had all stayed awake to watch over Legolas. That, piled on with the other restless nights—even if he had fallen asleep—with the utmost relief and Legolas' survival, had made it difficult indeed for the human to even stay up as long as he had.

He, as well as the twins, had been put in the healing wing's beds. Elrond respected their wishes to stay close to their friend and, so long as they were sleeping, he was satisfied.

When they had gotten the time to think, they had all wished that there was some way that they could find Lindil's killer—if he was even still alive. Since it had been so long and there had been no word about anything to do with his death until Delnen showed up, it was extremely unlikely that they would be able to find anyone. It was possible that, either the killer had died, or left Imladris for good. They wouldn't be able to search for Lindil's killer. Where would they even start? They would just have to keep an eye out and hope for the best. No matter how much they didn't like that Lindil wouldn't be given justice, they had no choice. It had been a year since Lindil had been murdered, after all.

Elrond had sent a party out to retrieve Elendur and his men from the forest the first day. The warriors weren't too happy about the fact that they hadn't been around when Legolas and the others had needed protection, but were grateful that Delnen had been caught and that everyone was alright. It was still hard to believe that he had been the cause of all the deaths.

The elf-lord was now replacing Legolas' bandages. The wounds were doing well and it looked like he was going to pull through. The prince's skin was still as pale as the clouds and he was still in a lot of pain, but it had only been two days. He couldn't expect much so far. However, it was reassuring to see the wounds doing so well already.

Once he was finished, he threw the bloodied bandages away and washed his hands. Sitting back down, he put his elbows on the bed and rested his head on his hands.

He was beyond tired, having stayed up the longest out of everyone; with all the pressure and fear for the people in his home, especially Legolas, it was a bit overwhelming.

He snapped his eyes open, just noticing that he had closed them. Then, he forced himself to sit up. He couldn't sleep now; not only was no one awake besides him, but he needed to keep giving Legolas the painkillers. Also, if the young elf were to wake, he wished to be there for him.

Therefore, the elder elf stood up and paced the chambers, which did nothing to help. He then went out to the balcony; leaning against the railing, he looked up at the night sky, seeking comfort.

He knew he shouldn't but, being out there, he couldn't help it, and he sat down.

The consistent sound of the fountains in the gardens calmed him, making him feel more at ease than he had been in months, with the knowledge that everyone—especially Legolas—was going to be well. He hadn't been so sure before this; the way things had been going had really looked doubtful. He wished they could have taken care of Delnen differently, could have had it to where no one was hurt, but there was nothing he could do about it.

Legolas was on the mend, Delnen would never touch another living soul, his sons were finally asleep, the lullabies of the night's sounds…

Elrond's eyes slowly opened, golden rays were just starting to blend with the greens of nature.

Then, he snapped his eyes wide, realizing what he had done. He sprang up from his spot and ran back into the chambers; right for Legolas. He should have given the injured elf more herbs by now. If he were awake he would be in terrible pain.

He viciously scolded himself, unable to believe he had done such a thing. He had known he was tired, but to fall asleep when someone needed him so much…

The healer was extremely relieved to see that the young elf was still asleep. However, he looked paler and a grimace marred his beautiful features. It was no surprise that he was in a lot of pain.

The elf-lord felt even more guilty for his negligence seeing this. He should have been attentive and shouldn't have fallen asleep in the first place.

Elrond quickly prepared the herbs. When he turned back to Legolas, cup in hand, he nearly dropped it, noticing that the prince was now awake, gasping between quiet groans. Even while in agony, he was still conscious of the fact that there were others in there that could be sleeping and he took that into consideration out of pure habit.

"Oh, penneth, forgive me," he said softly, regretfully, as he went to his side.

Legolas said nothing, wasn't even able to with the breathlessness. He hadn't imagined that he would be greeted with so much pain upon returning to consciousness. Then again, he hadn't really given it any thought… not like he could have stopped it to begin with.

Elrond lifted him up as carefully as possible but, with the wounds being on his back and side, it would stretch the skin no matter how gentle he was.

Legolas bit his lip, preventing the cry of pain that threatened to erupt from him. He closed his eyes tightly, waiting for the chambers to stop spinning.

The elder elf waited patiently—having expected such behavior—but still worriedly. Once the blonde was ready, he helped him drink it and lowered him back down just as carefully.

What little strength Legolas had regained had been drained and he was left exhausted, gasping from the pain as he waited for the painkillers to take effect.

Elrond had set the cup down and now watched over Legolas sadly, not knowing what he could do. Seeing the agony the archer was in made him feel even worse.

"Forgive me," he repeated his earlier words. He couldn't believe he had fallen asleep!

Legolas forced his eyes to open and met the elf-lord's, shocked to see that tears threatened to fall. He looked dreadful; it was obvious that he desperately needed sleep and lots of it. He knew Elrond hadn't given him the herbs when he was last supposed to—which explained why he had been in so much pain—but why hadn't he? Had he fallen asleep? Most likely.

Legolas slowly shook his head, trying to show that Elrond shouldn't feel so guilty. "Sleep," he managed to say. He really didn't think the elder elf would listen but it was worth a try. Elrond should know that an apology wasn't necessary by now so he didn't think a response to that was needed.

The healer merely smiled warmly in return, patting the young elf's hand.

…………

A few more days passed; Legolas was recovering nicely. He had been able to convince the sleep-deprived Elrond to let him move to his chambers. His minor wounds were nearly healed, it was just his back and side that still caused him the most trouble, which made it so he couldn't do much since moving pulled it no matter what he did and Elrond was still concerned about them reopening.

Elrond had dozed off a few times while sitting next to Legolas. Aragorn, the twins and Legolas all let him sleep when this happened, knowing how much he needed it. However, no matter how much he received—which really wasn't that much to begin with—it still wasn't enough and left him even more tired since he had had the slight taste of sleep as it teased him.

At present, the elf-lord was falling asleep as they spoke, unable to help himself any longer. He was sitting in the same chair, trying to carry on the conversation. He had no idea what the topic even was; if they should ask him. Obviously it didn't work out that well.

Then, no one spoke. The four decided to let the elder elf sleep, for they all knew that that was exactly what would happen should Elrond actually doze off again. He had needed it for far too long. Now, he was definitely going to get it.

However, their sudden silence awoke him more than a loud crash would have and he opened his eyes. Looking at each in suspicion, he figured it was better not to question and stood up. He knew if he were to stay seated, he would fall asleep the next time his eyes began to close.

The others inwardly sighed, each exchanging an exasperated look. It had been so close. They would have to keep in mind that they had to keep talking; apparently it was reassuring hearing their voices.

Throughout the whole day it had passed similarly: Elrond would check and replace Legolas' bandages and spend the rest of the time forcing himself to stay awake.

Elladan had brought food for all of them, Aragorn not wanting to leave Legolas with their father in his current condition and he had insisted, even when Elrohir offered.

Later that night after the evening meal, Elrond's body got the better of him at last.

Aragorn had been helping his father make Legolas' tea—not exactly trusting the drowsy elf—when the elf-lord suddenly started to fall against him.

At first he had been extremely confused and even alarmed, for Elrond rarely did such a thing, if ever.

Elladan and Elrohir had stopped their conversation and shot up from their positions after hearing Aragorn's exclamation as Elrond completely fell against him, eyes closed.

However, he hadn't shouted because of deep concern since this had actually been somewhat expected… well, not the whole falling-on-the-human part. Elrond wasn't heavy, but it had startled Aragorn and nearly knocked him over.

When Elladan and Elrohir saw this, they immediately slumped over, laughing hysterically. That was, of course, returned with a glare of stormy grey. Once regaining his footing, the ranger picked his fast-asleep father up and headed off towards Elrond's chambers. Who knew when he would next wake with how exhausted he was. He had fallen asleep on his feet and preparing herbs no less!

…………

It was now afternoon of the next day and Elrond was still deep asleep, eyes closed. Aragorn or one of the twins would check up on him often to make sure he was alright. They knew he would be upset when he found himself alone without Legolas near him, especially since he wouldn't know how he fared or how long he had slept. This was exactly what they were trying to prevent by checking frequently, hoping to catch him as he awoke, rather than after.

At the moment, however, there was an incredibly irritated and frustrated Legolas to deal with.

"Estel, you cannot be serious!"

"Of course I am, mellon-nin. Remember what happened last time…?" the human said calmly, which only grated on Legolas' nerves.

"And _why_ exactly did I leave like that? Oh, maybe because you would not leave me be for one second!" the prince shouted in disbelief. "Keeping that in mind, do you really think that's a good idea?"

Elladan and Elrohir watched their exchange in amusement.

Aragorn thought for a moment. "Aye."

Legolas threw his hands up, incredulous, hiding the wince and ignoring the pain. "This is ridiculous," he muttered.

When he heard Elrohir chuckle lightly, he stood up stiffly and started walking.

Immediately, Aragorn stood and went to support his friend. Legolas, however, didn't appreciate the gesture, especially with his frustrations, and he pushed the human away.

Aragorn sighed deeply, but didn't try again. Instead, he stayed close, just in case the injured elf should lose his balance.

The ranger opened the door for his friend.

Legolas entered and then turned to face Aragorn with a set glare. "If you so much as open this door within half an hour, I swear you will regret it," he threatened. He loved the man and the twins, but sometimes they went too far. He shifted his gaze to Elladan and Elrohir, showing them that the same went for them.

Aragorn echoed his earlier sigh, this time it was in resignation, followed by the twin's. "Fine, but if you need help…" he trailed off, knowing it wasn't necessary to finish. He didn't think that Legolas would actually ask for help, but he felt it needed to be said.

Legolas' expression softened and he smiled warmly. "Hannon le, mellon-nin," he said gratefully.

Aragorn smiled back, a true smile, glad to see the shine back in the blonde's eyes. "Go on," he shooed Legolas playfully.

Legolas didn't need to be told twice and closed the door behind him.

The bath was already drawn and he stripped, unwrapping his bandages as well; then he eased himself slowly in the water.

The elf tilted his bead back and closed his eyes, body completely relaxing as the tension left his aching body, despite the initial sting of his wounds.

And he was finally alone. …This time with no plans of escape. Why would he after all? With the feelings of absolute bliss that overwhelmed him… He just hoped that Aragorn really wouldn't check up on him, he had meant his threat. He didn't know what he'd do quite yet, but he would find something.

He didn't care at the moment, however. He wasn't even sure if he would notice the human enter at this point.

It felt amazing to be able to fully relax, to know everyone was safe, that everything had come to a rest—that _Elrond_ was resting.

He listened to the twittering of the birds and the soft murmuring of his friends, a content smile gracing his features.

Fifteen minutes later, he had nearly fallen asleep he was so relaxed.

Then, he heard a click in the direction of the door.

"Estel!"

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Estel needs to leave our poor elf alone. XDD

And there ya have it. Kinda abrupt, now that I think about it… -.- Sorry 'bout that; you can forgive me, right? n.n

I already have a one-shot done (check out http / nightshadow131 .livejournal .com for info) and am working on the second so keep an eye out for them. n.n I will have more multi-chaptered ones, too, of course. Just a matter of time. n.n

Thanks for all your wonderful reviews, they were all very encouraging. I hope to hear from you all again and I hope that you aren't too disappointed with this chapter. n.n;; Sorry 'bout the shortness, too, btw. ..:sighs:..

Thanks again; don't forget to let me know what ya think. n.n

Ja ne


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